Seeking opinion on Ebay belt grinder

Camillus

Camillus

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Jun 3, 2015
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Hi all, I am looking to get into knifemaking and have been put off by the initial cost of a belt sander, which start at around $1000. However this option has recently appeared on Ebay and seems a good choice for only $140.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/950W-Belt-Sander-Sanding-Grinding-Machine-Bench-Grinder-Double-Axis-6000RMP

My plan is to start with handles and once I have experience and am making handles that are good quality, move on to blades/stock removal. So my grinder needs are mainly limited to handle materials at this stage.

Is this a good choice?
 
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No
That's the cheapest possible thing slapped together.
 
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I agree with the Count, it also looks like the main body would really restrict platen usage to either really small pieces or only to one end of a piece of steel/knife, as there is no clearance due to the blue body sloping down past the face of the platen.

You can check out the 2x36 "Multitool" belt linisher if you already have a decent bench grinder. I'd say spend a bit more and just get a Coote and perhaps a used/inexpensive motor to keep it from getting too pricey for ya. https://cootebeltgrinder.com/prices/

The Coote is something that would still have a good place in the shop should you ever decide to upgrade and add another grinder in the future.

I've seen a number of knifemakers (especially from other countries) that have a Multitool in their shop and it seems to work well enough for them. I started off with one myself years ago when they were still selling the 2x48" version with the 8" serrated contact wheel, but it had problems and I ended up exchanging it for the standard 2x36". They ended up dropping the 8" wheel version from the line due to other customers having problems with it. I bought a new 8" "variable" speed bench grinder to put in on, and after a while I honestly regretted putting as much money into it as I did (which was around $500) The tracking can be very finicky and I personally just had a bad overall experience with it, but that's just me. For me personally it wasn't good for what I wanted to do, which was learn to grind nice bevels and plunges and overall make knives on. Also, it doesn't have a tool rest, but I fabricated a ghetto one for mine which worked ok.

Don't forget about the 2x42" Craftsman grinder (sander) that many guys start out on, which can be modified in a number of ways to make it more knifemaker friendly and there are a bunch of videos on Youtube showing how to do just that.

If you are able to scrounge some extra money, I would honestly recommend one of the 2x72" Coote grinders, which you can add to later on and still have a great selection of 72" belts to choose from. Pay a little more up front and you save money in the long run and won't always be wishing you got something else. (Buy once cry once) Just my 2 cents.

~Paul
My Youtube Channel
... (Some older videos of some of my older work)
 
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Remember, Camillus is from Aussie land so his choices will be different than our choices here in USA due to shipping costs. Some of the 2X72" grinders on www.aliexpress.com might be a choice.
 
Thanks Ken that is true - but there are often comparable options, just made by different companies. Using the options suggested above I did a quick hunt and I am surprised just how many people have the same problem I have. Suggests there is a gap in the market.
 
We have the same problem in New Zealand. I started my knife making on a bench grinder, wore out 2 of the really cheap ones, then moved to the 4x36 belt and disc sander - shorted out the motor on that twice grinding steel. Then tried a 2 x 48 linishall belt grinder attachment driven directly off a 1.5 hp electric motor. I've just now graduated to the the BG 272 that I built myself. Its a direct drive single speed, but I'll eventually get a VSD. The only thing I needed to get from the states was the 2 wheels for the flat platen and the tracking wheel. Got them from Origin Blademaker. Got the plans for the BG 272 from here:
http://dcknives.blogspot.com/p/2-x-72-belt-grinder.html

If you have access to welding gear or know someone who does or as I did go to a fabricator to get the chasis made you can have the basics of a 2 x 72 for a lot less than than buying one from Gameco in Aussie or importing one from the states or china. Plus you'll have the satisfaction of making something yourself.

Edit just re-read op first post- if just doing handles at this stage go for a 4x 36 belt and disk sander. You should be able to get one from your local Bunnings -the belt tilts upwards so you don't have to use it flat.

Good Luck
Kevin
 
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kevinc said:
We have the same problem in New Zealand. I started my knife making on a bench grinder, wore out 2 of the really cheap ones, then moved to the 4x36 belt and disc sander - shorted out the motor on that twice grinding steel. Then tried a 2 x 48 linishall belt grinder attachment driven directly off a 1.5 hp electric motor. I've just now graduated to the the BG 272 that I built myself. Its a direct drive single speed, but I'll eventually get a VSD. The only thing I needed to get from the states was the 2 wheels for the flat platen and the tracking wheel. Got them from Origin Blademaker. Got the plans for the BG 272 from here:
http://dcknives.blogspot.com/p/2-x-72-belt-grinder.html

If you have access to welding gear or know someone who does or as I did go to a fabricator to get the chasis made you can have the basics of a 2 x 72 for a lot less than than buying one from Gameco in Aussie or importing one from the states or china. Plus you'll have the satisfaction of making something yourself.

Edit just re-read op first post- if just doing handles at this stage go for a 4x 36 belt and disk sander. You should be able to get one from your local Bunnings -the belt tilts upwards so you don't have to use it flat.

Good Luck
Kevin
Click to expand...

Hi Kevin - totally resurrecting this thread, but if you don't mind I'm keen to get some more info on the grinder you had built by a fabricator as I am NZ based too, and looking to do something similar. I have a 1.5hp variable speed, but zero machine building skills / time to develop them!
1.5 years later, is the machine going well, and are you able to recommend the place that made it?

Cheers
Jay
 
Grizzly has released a variable speed 1x30. You might consider looking into that. I think it’s like ~$150 or so.
 
Hi Jay All I did was download the plans from the DC knives website (see link in my post above)- found a smaller engineering company and got them to supply the steel tube and do all the welding of the chassis and the nuts as a cash job. I did all the drilling and setup. I am based in Wellington and travel through to Masterton for work. I found a small engineering company there that serviced the rural sector and would do small welding jobs. The grinder works great - although it is a bit limited being a single speed so I can do most of the profiling and grinding up to about 120 grit - Still need to get a VSD.
 
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